Dr. Murray Feingold: Find a doctor online

Dr. Murray Feingold

Wednesday

Jul 29, 2009 at 12:01 AMJul 29, 2009 at 9:14 AM

There have been many changes in the practice of medicine, and seeing as I have gray hair, I have witnessed most of them.

When I first started practicing medicine, it was considered unethical to advertise. Today, this is commonplace. Not only do physicians advertise, so do almost all hospitals, which widely tout their services.

Medications, which were once mysterious cure-alls to patients, are now advertised constantly on television. Within the medical profession, the value of this practice remains controversial.

And remember the doctor's white lab coat he (there were very few women physicians then) always wore? The majority of physicians (I'm not included in that group) no longer consider this a necessary part of their sartorial makeup.

In many practices, everyone - doctors, nurses and patients - call each other by their first names. Again, a practice I do not endorse. Do you get the feeling that I am a real old-timer?

It wasn't that long ago that if you were looking for a new doctor you would ask one of your friends who they use, or look in the phone book.

Today, if you are computer-savvy you can learn everything you want to know about the doctors in your community and then pick the one that suits your needs.

There have been many changes in the practice of medicine, and seeing as I have gray hair, I have witnessed most of them.

When I first started practicing medicine, it was considered unethical to advertise. Today, this is commonplace. Not only do physicians advertise, so do almost all hospitals, which widely tout their services.

Medications, which were once mysterious cure-alls to patients, are now advertised constantly on television. Within the medical profession, the value of this practice remains controversial.

And remember the doctor's white lab coat he (there were very few women physicians then) always wore? The majority of physicians (I'm not included in that group) no longer consider this a necessary part of their sartorial makeup.

In many practices, everyone - doctors, nurses and patients - call each other by their first names. Again, a practice I do not endorse. Do you get the feeling that I am a real old-timer?

It wasn't that long ago that if you were looking for a new doctor you would ask one of your friends who they use, or look in the phone book.

Today, if you are computer-savvy you can learn everything you want to know about the doctors in your community and then pick the one that suits your needs.

Some people who want to know how good a restaurant is use the Zagat Survey to check the restaurant’s rating. But here is a new twist: Now you can also use Zagat ratings to help choose a doctor.

The ratings are determined by patients' opinions concerning their doctors. The ratings include the doctor's availability, communication skills and the trust patients have in him or her. The office environment is also considered.

The doctors receive a numerical score based on a 30-point scale.

To accomplish this, Zagat has partnered with a major health-insurance company. Other doctor-rating services, such as Angies List and RateMDs.com, also are available.

There are objections to doctor rating lists. They are considered more of a popularity contest and do not rate the abilities and knowledge of the doctor.

The practice of medicine is very different today than it was just 15 or 20 years ago. Some of these changes have been beneficial.

However, this seasoned physician misses the closer doctor-patient relationship that was more evident in the past. It helped make the practice of medicine worthwhile.

Dr. Murray Feingold is the physician in chief of the National Birth Defects Center in Waltham, Mass., medical editor of WBZ-TV and WBZ radio, and president of the Genesis Fund. The Genesis Fund is a nonprofit organization that funds the care of children born with birth defects, mental retardation and genetic diseases.

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